Sunny San Diego – Part I

After a tough and long winter here in Minnesota, the family was more than ready for a vacation to a place with warmer climate. We chose San Diego because of its gorgeous weather at this time of the year and its world famous attractions. Other lures include the white sandy beaches and delicious Mexican food. We were not disappointed.
We took an early flight out of Minneapolis and arrived in San Diego mid-afternoon. Our first stop was to check in at The Dana on Mission Bay. After catching our breaths, we headed straight for Old Town, San Diego. The weather was perfect – cool, sunny, and in the low 70’s. We were hungry and ready for a big Mexican lunch.

The crowd at Casa Guadalajara convinced us to stop there. We opted to dine al fresco. Ro-Taro ordered Chile Colorado and Ro-Jiro had Seafood Enchiladas Supremas. Both Ro-Ri San and I decided on Ensenada Fish Tacos. Our jovial server brought us freshly made tortilla chips and salsa which he willingly refilled. He also brought a spicy salsa just for me. 🙂 Lunch was superb!

After a leisurely meal, it was time to walk off the calories at the Old Town State Historic Park. We spent the rest of the afternoon just browsing at the stores and museums around town. The gorgeous weather made it so wonderful to be out and about.

Please click on any of the pictures to view them in a descriptive gallery.

Seafood Enchiladas Supremas – combination of shrimp, lobster, and sea bass in a creamy jalapeno sauce filled enchiladas. Served with black beans and an ensalada of julienne vegetables in a lime cilantro dressing.

Early the next morning, we headed for the San Diego Zoo. The weather could not be more perfect and I cannot remember a trip to any other zoo to be as pleasant as this one. It is no wonder the animals here look so frisky as you will see in my short video clip. 🙂 We spent the entire day here and was really tired by the time we got back to the resort. We definitely put in more than 10,000 steps that day but we still found some energy left to go to the gym to work out an appetite for fish and chips by the bay. You can be sure we all slept soundly that night.

San Diego Zoo

Flamingos, San Diego Zoo

Galapagos tortoise, San Diego Zoo

Baby panda Xiao Liwu (Little Gift), San Diego Zoo

Orangutan, San Diego Zoo

Gorilla, San Diego Zoo

Koalas, San Diego Zoo

Metallic Starlings from New Guinea, San Diego Zoo

Now, you do!

Our next destination was the USS Midway Museum, to explore the “city at sea” and relive nearly 50 years of world history aboard the longest-serving Navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century. This massive war ship has 29 restored aircraft on deck and in the hanger below. It was interesting to see the primary flight control on the bridge high in the island over the flight deck, pilots’ ready rooms, engine room, massive galley (kitchen), sick bay, and even the ship’s jail (or the brig as they would call it).

After more than 4 hours on board, we were ready to head back to the resort for a swim and a game of ping pong on the beach. That helped work up an appetite for the popular Taco Tuesday at Barra Barra Saloon in Old Town, San Diego. Tacos were priced at $2.00, $3.00, and $4.00 each with magarita and tequila specials at $4.50 for the bar or patio dining. Then a stroll at Fiesta de Reyes Plaza where I picked up a bottle of Ring of Fire hot sauce…mmm! 😉

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Excellent Linda! I would love to visit there. Everything looks so wonderful and the panda and koala are just so cute!
Great job with your blog post, thank you for sharing part of your holiday. Looking forward to part 2!!
Mary